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Reem Mahmoud

Publications and source records attributed to Reem Mahmoud.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Obstructions for Minor-Closed Classes of limiting Densities Below 3/2

Given a graph class $\mathcal{G}$, the limiting density of $\mathcal{G}$ is defined as $\delta(\mathcal{G})=\lim_{n\to\infty} \mathsf{ex}(\mathcal{G},n)/n$ where $\mathsf{ex}(\mathcal{G},n)$ is the maximum number of edges of a graph in $\mathcal{G}$ on $n$ vertices. The limiting density $\delta(\mathcal{G})$ is known to be a rational number when $\mathcal{G}$ is a minor-closed graph class. For every $\delta\in[0,\frac{3}{2})$, we prove that the set of $\subseteq$-minimal minor-closed graph classes with densities $>\delta$ is finite and we identify it completely. A consequence of our results is an algorithm that, given a finite set of graphs $\mathcal{Z}$, of total size $n$, either outputs the value of $\delta(\mathsf{excl}(\mathcal{Z}))$ or reports that $\delta(\mathsf{excl}(\mathcal{Z}))\geq \frac{3}{2}$, where $\mathsf{excl}(\mathcal{Z})$ is the class of graphs excluding the graphs in $\mathcal{Z}$ as minors. The algorithm runs in $2^{\mathsf{poly}(n)}$ time.

math.CO↗
arXiv2025

Equitably Coloring Planar and Outerplanar Graphs

A proper $s$-coloring of an $n$-vertex graph is \emph{equitable} if every color class has size $\lfloor{n/s}\rfloor$ or $\lceil{n/s}\rceil$. A necessary condition to have an equitable $s$-coloring is that every vertex $v$ appears in an independent set of size at least $\lfloor{n/s}\rfloor$. That is $\min_{v\in V(G)}\alpha_v\ge \lfloor{n/s}\rfloor$. Various authors showed that when $G$ is a tree and $s\ge 3$ this obvious necessary condition is also sufficient. Kierstead, Kostochka, and Xiang asked whether this result holds more generally for all outerplanar graphs. We show that the answer is No when $s=3$, but that the answer is Yes when $s\ge 6$. The case $s\in\{4,5\}$ remains open. We also prove an analogous result for planar graphs, with a necessary and sufficient hypothesis. Fix $s\ge 40$. Let $G$ be a planar graph, and let $w_0,w_1$ be its $2$ vertices with largest degrees. If there exist disjoint independent sets $I_0, I_1$ such that $|I_0|=\lfloor{n/s}\rfloor$ and $|I_1| = \lfloor{(n+1)/s}\rfloor$ and $w_0,w_1\in I_0\cup I_1$, then $G$ has an equitable $s$-coloring.

math.CO↗
arXiv2024

Pairwise Rearrangement is Fixed-Parameter Tractable in the Single Cut-and-Join Model

Genome rearrangement is a common model for molecular evolution. In this paper, we consider the Pairwise Rearrangement problem, which takes as input two genomes and asks for the number of minimum-length sequences of permissible operations transforming the first genome into the second. In the Single Cut-and-Join model (Bergeron, Medvedev, & Stoye, J. Comput. Biol. 2010), Pairwise Rearrangement is $\#\textsf{P}$-complete (Bailey, et. al., COCOON 2023), which implies that exact sampling is intractable. In order to cope with this intractability, we investigate the parameterized complexity of this problem. We exhibit a fixed-parameter tractable algorithm with respect to the number of components in the adjacency graph that are not cycles of length $2$ or paths of length $1$. As a consequence, we obtain that Pairwise Rearrangement in the Single Cut-and-Join model is fixed-parameter tractable by distance. Our results suggest that the number of nontrivial components in the adjacency graph serves as the key obstacle for efficient sampling.

q-bio.GN↗
arXiv2023

Minimum Separator Reconfiguration

We study the problem of reconfiguring one minimum $s$-$t$-separator $A$ into another minimum $s$-$t$-separator $B$ in some $n$-vertex graph $G$ containing two non-adjacent vertices $s$ and $t$. We consider several variants of the problem as we focus on both the token sliding and token jumping models. Our first contribution is a polynomial-time algorithm that computes (if one exists) a minimum-length sequence of slides transforming $A$ into $B$. We additionally establish that the existence of a sequence of jumps (which need not be of minimum length) can be decided in polynomial time (by an algorithm that also outputs a witnessing sequence when one exists). In contrast, and somewhat surprisingly, we show that deciding if a sequence of at most $\ell$ jumps can transform $A$ into $B$ is an $\textsf{NP}$-complete problem. To complement this negative result, we investigate the parameterized complexity of what we believe to be the two most natural parameterized counterparts of the latter problem; in particular, we study the problem of computing a minimum-length sequence of jumps when parameterized by the size $k$ of the minimum \stseps and when parameterized by the number of jumps $\ell$. For the first parameterization, we show that the problem is fixed-parameter tractable, but does not admit a polynomial kernel unless $\textsf{NP} \subseteq \textsf{coNP/poly}$. We complete the picture by designing a kernel with $\mathcal{O}(\ell^2)$ vertices and edges for the length $\ell$ of the sequence as a parameter.

cs.CC↗
arXiv2023

Complexity and Enumeration in Models of Genome Rearrangement

In this paper, we examine the computational complexity of enumeration in certain genome rearrangement models. We first show that the Pairwise Rearrangement problem in the Single Cut-and-Join model (Bergeron, Medvedev, & Stoye, J. Comput. Biol. 2010) is $\#\textsf{P}$-complete under polynomial-time Turing reductions. Next, we show that in the Single Cut or Join model (Feijao & Meidanis, IEEE ACM Trans. Comp. Biol. Bioinf. 2011), the problem of enumerating all medians ($\#$Median) is logspace-computable ($\textsf{FL}$), improving upon the previous polynomial-time ($\textsf{FP}$) bound of Mikl\'os & Smith (RECOMB 2015).

q-bio.GN↗
arXiv2022

Kempe Equivalent List Colorings Revisited

A \emph{Kempe chain} on colors $a$ and $b$ is a component of the subgraph induced by colors $a$ and $b$. A \emph{Kempe change} is the operation of interchanging the colors of some Kempe chain. For a list-assignment $L$ and an $L$-coloring $\varphi$, a Kempe change is \emph{$L$-valid} for $\varphi$ if performing the Kempe change yields another $L$-coloring. Two $L$-colorings are \emph{$L$-equivalent} if we can form one from the other by a sequence of $L$-valid Kempe changes. A \emph{degree-assignment} is a list-assignment $L$ such that $L(v)\ge d(v)$ for every $v\in V(G)$. Cranston and Mahmoud (\emph{Combinatorica}, 2023) asked: For which graphs $G$ and degree-assignment $L$ of $G$ is it true that all the $L$-colorings of $G$ are $L$-equivalent? We prove that for every 4-connected graph $G$ which is not complete and every degree-assignment $L$ of $G$, all $L$-colorings of $G$ are $L$-equivalent.

math.CO↗
arXiv2022

Reconstruction and Edge Reconstruction of Triangle-free Graphs

The Reconstruction Conjecture due to Kelly and Ulam states that every graph with at least 3 vertices is uniquely determined by its multiset of subgraphs $\{G-v: v\in V(G)\}$. Let $diam(G)$ and $\kappa(G)$ denote the diameter and the connectivity of a graph $G$, respectively, and let $\mathcal{G}_2:=\{G: \textrm{diam}(G)=2\}$ and $\mathcal{G}_3:=\{G:\textrm{diam}(G)=\textrm{diam}(\overline{G})=3\}$. It is known that the Reconstruction Conjecture is true if and only if it is true for every 2-connected graph in $\mathcal{G}_2\cup \mathcal{G}_3$. Balakumar and Monikandan showed that the Reconstruction Conjecture holds for every triangle-free graph $G$ in $\mathcal{G}_2\cup \mathcal{G}_3$ with $\kappa(G)=2$. Moreover, they asked whether the result still holds if $\kappa(G)\ge 3$. (If yes, the class of graphs critical for solving the Reconstruction Conjecture is restricted to 2-connected graphs in $\mathcal{G}_2\cup\mathcal{G}_3$ which contain triangles.) In this paper, we give a partial solution to their question by showing that the Reconstruction Conjecture holds for every triangle-free graph $G$ in $\mathcal{G}_3$ and every triangle-free graph $G$ in $\mathcal{G}_2$ with $\kappa(G)=3$. We also prove similar results about the Edge Reconstruction Conjecture.

math.CO↗
arXiv2022

5-Coloring Reconfiguration of Planar Graphs with No Short Odd Cycles

The coloring reconfiguration graph $\mathcal{C}_k(G)$ has as its vertex set all the proper $k$-colorings of $G$, and two vertices in $\mathcal{C}_k(G)$ are adjacent if their corresponding $k$-colorings differ on a single vertex. Cereceda conjectured that if an $n$-vertex graph $G$ is $d$-degenerate and $k\geq d+2$, then the diameter of $\mathcal{C}_k(G)$ is $O(n^2)$. Bousquet and Heinrich proved that if $G$ is planar and bipartite, then the diameter of $\mathcal{C}_5(G)$ is $O(n^2)$. (This proves Cereceda's Conjecture for every such graph with degeneracy 3.) They also highlighted the particular case of Cereceda's Conjecture when $G$ is planar and has no 3-cycles. As a partial solution to this problem, we show that the diameter of $\mathcal{C}_5(G)$ is $O(n^2)$ for every planar graph $G$ with no 3-cycles and no 5-cycles.

math.CO↗
arXiv2021

Kempe Equivalent List Colorings

An $\alpha,\beta$-Kempe swap in a properly colored graph interchanges the colors on some component of the subgraph induced by colors $\alpha$ and $\beta$. Two $k$-colorings of a graph are $k$-Kempe equivalent if we can form one from the other by a sequence of Kempe swaps (never using more than $k$ colors). Las Vergnas and Meyniel showed that if a graph is $(k-1)$-degenerate, then each pair of its $k$-colorings are $k$-Kempe equivalent. Mohar conjectured the same conclusion for connected $k$-regular graphs. This was proved for $k=3$ by Feghali, Johnson, and Paulusma (with a single exception $K_2\square K_3$, also called the 3-prism) and for $k\ge 4$ by Bonamy, Bousquet, Feghali, and Johnson. In this paper we prove an analogous result for list-coloring. For a list-assignment $L$ and an $L$-coloring $\varphi$, a Kempe swap is called $L$-valid for $\varphi$ if performing the Kempe swap yields another $L$-coloring. Two $L$-colorings are called $L$-equivalent if we can form one from the other by a sequence of $L$-valid Kempe swaps. Let $G$ be a connected $k$-regular graph with $k\ge 3$. We prove that if $L$ is a $k$-assignment, then all $L$-colorings are $L$-equivalent (again with a single exception $K_2 \square K_3$). When $k\ge 4$, the proof is completely self-contained, so implies an alternate proof of the result of Bonamy et al. Our proofs rely on the following key lemma, which may be of independent interest. Let $H$ be a graph such that for every degree-assignment $L_H$ all $L_H$-colorings are $L_H$-equivalent. If $G$ is a connected graph that contains $H$ as an induced subgraph, then for every degree-assignment $L_G$ for $G$ all $L_G$-colorings are $L_G$-equivalent.

math.CO↗
arXiv2021

In Most 6-regular Toroidal Graphs All 5-colorings are Kempe Equivalent

A Kempe swap in a proper coloring interchanges the colors on some maximal connected 2-colored subgraph. Two $k$-colorings are $k$-equivalent if we can transform one into the other using Kempe swaps. The triangulated toroidal grid, $T[m\times n]$, is formed from (a toroidal embedding of) the Cartesian product of $C_m$ and $C_n$ by adding parallel diagonals inside all 4-faces. Mohar and Salas showed that not all 4-colorings of $T[m\times n]$ are 4-equivalent. In contrast, Bonamy, Bousquet, Feghali, and Johnson showed that all 6-colorings of $T[m\times n]$ are 6-equivalent. They asked whether the same is true for 5-colorings. We answer their question affirmatively when $m,n\ge 6$. Further, we show that if $G$ is 6-regular with a toroidal embedding where every non-contractible cycle has length at least 7, then all 5-colorings of $G$ are 5-equivalent. Our results relate to the antiferromagnetic Pott's model in statistical mechanics.

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